Teaching Literature: Principles, Practices, Applications

Teaching Literature offers unique approaches to teaching and learning by focusing on principles, strategies, and applications. Leading educator and scholar, Robert DiYanni provides a wealth of practical teaching techniques and exercises which will motivate educators and students alike.

The book begins by explaining why teaching matters. Part One then outlines foundational principles of teaching and learning, exploring literacy, knowledge acquisition, modes of thinking, and contrasts between method and system. It also introduces three "ways in" to learning: heuristics, hermeneutics, and homiletics. Part Two considers approaches to teaching literature, exploring the relationship between reading, writing, and thinking, featuring the influential work of Robert Scholes. The third part explores applications including “close teaching”. Part Four provides expert advice and helpful exercises that leading educators use with their secondary school, college, and university students. Topics in this section include deep reading, contextual reading, and discussion-based teaching. The book concludes with an appendix on teaching and learning in the age of AI.

Combining theory and practice, this comprehensive teaching guide is an invaluable resource for educators across secondary and higher education, as well as for school and college administrators.